Greece vs England LIVE: Result and reaction as Three Lions seal victory in must-win Nations League clash
Greece 0-3 England: Ollie Watkins, an own goal created by Jude Bellingham and Curtis Jones ensured Lee Carsley’s Three Lions got the victory they needed in Athens
England took a big step closer to winning automatic promotion to the top tier of the Nations League with a strong 3-0 victory over rivals Greece in Athens.
Interim manager Lee Carsley made it four wins out of five for his time in charge and made a bold call in leaving captain Harry Kane on the bench to start the game. His replacement was Ollie Watkins and the decision made off spectacularly. Noni Madueke sprinted down the right and slipped in a pass that Watkins turned home with seven minutes on the clock.
The early breakthrough settled the nerves and England were able to weather a storm from the hosts with Jordan Pickford proving his worth on a busy night between the sticks. In the second half, Carsley made attacking substitutions and replaced the whole front line.
It worked a treat as first Bellingham raced at the defence to score a fortuitious deflected shot from range before Curtis Jones added a third with a dainty flick having been supplied by substitute Morgan Rogers. Three goals and three points puts England top of Group B2 and they need one more win to gain promotion.
Relive the action from the Nations League with our live blog below as England take on Greece:
HT Greece 0-1 England
Ollie Watkins rewards Lee Carsley’s faith with a fine finish. Take a look:
HT Greece 0-1 England
England seemed quite comfortable in that first half. They had 66.4% possession which is double that of their hosts and they created the most chances (four compared to three).
Ollie Watkins turned in his best chance and Lee Carsley still has Harry Kane to call on as this match goes on.
HT Greece 0-1 England
Half-time! Greece 0-1 England
45+2 mins: England lead at the break. Ollie Watkins’ goal and a superb save from Jordan Pickford have made the difference between these two teams.
England’s wingers have been the main threat and Lee Carsley will be pleased with how his team have absorbed the pressure from Greece.
All to play for in the second half.
Greece 0-1 England
45 mins: Two minutes of added time to play in the first half.
Greece 0-1 England
42 mins: England will want to get to the break now. They scored the early goal which has given them the lead but Greece are coming after them.
The hosts know a draw will be enough for them so they’ve been willing to press and attack. England are sticking with it and are playing well.
Greece 0-1 England
“Curtis Jones has had an impressive first half-hour of international football, looking assured at the base of the midfield.
“If Jones had not got injured, he probably would have been capped by Gareth Southgate and gone to Euro 2024. But he has been building on his fine form for Liverpool.
“Elsewhere, I can't help feeling someone will be sent off today. All of which may determine the outcome.”
Greece 0-1 England
39 mins: Greece’s captain Tasos Bakasetas shoots from outside the box and draws another save out of Jordan Pickford. The England goalkeeper won’t be best pleased at the amount of action he’s seeing.
Greece 0-1 England
36 mins: Oh!
Jude Bellingham darts in behind and gets fed the ball. He carries it into the penalty area and looks for Ollie Watkins but the pass isn’t on.
It seems like a certain goal but Konstantinos Koulierakis sprints back and pokes the ball away from Bellingham before he can shoot!
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